THAMES-TE AROHAR RAILWAY.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 357, 6 April 1889, Page 2

THAMES-TE A ROHAR RAILWAY.

MEETING OF LOCAL BODIES, A meeting of members of life various local bodies, convened by His Worship the Mayor (Mr Carpenter), was held in the Borough Chambei-R,' Thames", on -'.Tuesday;.. ' evening, last for the purpose of urging upon the Hon. E, Mitchelson, Minister for Public Works, the necessity of at once continuing the Thames railway to Te Aroha. The Mayor presided, and explained the object for which he had convened the meeting. So far as he could s<v, however, it would be difficult to place any further information before Government regaiding the line, as the facts had been laid before them. It would doubtless be recollected that some years ago deputations weie received by a Minister at the Pacific Hotel, when all sorts of statistics and information were furnished him as to the material to be carried, &c, and the testimony was overwhelming that the" line would prove payable if continued to Te Aroha. Upon looking up the matter he had found that the Thames llaijway was debited with £46,800 but it was* possible that this sum might also include rolling stock not yet in use, Mr Dean remarked that the amount only included contracts which had already been let, and did not embrace the rolling stock. The Mayor continued, expressing his conviction that it would be very unwise indeed to allow the line to remain idle, and every effort should be made to have it proceeded with to Te Aroha. Mr W. Eraser, M.H.It., said that he failed to see why the Government should place the ThaJhes-Te Aroha railway in such an exceptional position. It had been shelved for many years, notwithstanding that the money for it had been borrowed and voted, so that Government could have no excuse for not having completed it. It was unjust that the people of the Thames should be called upon to show that the line would prove payable, as this course was not pursued when railways were about to be constructed in other places in New Zealand. The Hon. Mr, Mitchelson had when at the Thames a year or t\\ o ago distinctly pi omised— there cjuld be no mistake about it— that the line would be proceeded with. At the time the battle for the Thames railway was being fought in the House, the Hon, Mr Mitchelson had been one of its most bitter opponents, and ! had lemarked, after the vote had been , taken, " I am sorry to see that you have got your rotten railway. " It was the duty of the citizens of the Thames to use everymeans in their power to get the money ex-* pended for the continuation of the line, as the lailway would no doubt be of great advantage to the whole district. The Ma) or said it would be quite absunl to think of btopping at Paeroa, but therewas a hope that were the lino carried to that place it would be the insertion of the> r thin ed^e of the wedge, and it would ultimately be continued on to To Aroha. Were it a sine qua nan that the people of ' the Thames must convince the GovernV ment that the line would prove payable, it • would simply mean thai it was imposing >i l condition which could not pos.-ibl) be { complied with. Such 0 question could, only be settled after the line was continued ! to Te Aioha and opened up for traffic. ' Mrß ignallsflid if the Hon Mr Mitchelson 1 had asked for some assurance as to theline- ! pioving payable, it was certainly somewhat 3 vague, Did he mean to be informed [• whethei the line would pay woiking , expenses, or in addition to this, interest oik I its cost of const) uetion ? If the latter was , meant, be (Mr Bagnall) would motit decidedly reply in the negative ; but he > saw no reason whatever why it should not f pay working expenses if connected with Te Aroha. Unless more money was expended, that whit h had already been spent would be practically lost, as the sleepers laid down some years ago were fast going to decay, while some were rotten, and most s of them would require to be re laid before " a train could run over the line So far as^ n he was aware there was' not much land Y along the line in the hands of the Govern*, y ment, as it was principally owned by ir natives and private individuals, with theil exception perhaps of a little at Komabv '" and one or two blocks at lli.%ntaia, but ife c wnsof such inferior quality that he doubted! d whether anyone would live upon it, The t" construction of the railway to Paeroa y would be of little benefit, as the traffic"c between that place and Grahamstown .V would not, unless some of the mines came d to the front, be sufficient to pay forking S expenses ; but were it carried through to. i- Te Aroha it would also materially assist ints making the lines to Auckland pay better,, d In addition to this, coal and agricultural d produce would find its way to tho Thamesfrom the Waikato, and a ready market ir would be found here instead of Auckland. Mr Kcnshaw said that if the railway was n formed even to Paeroa he had no doubt S that a nee 1 would speedily spring up for * s branch lines from the various mining's districts of the upper country, so that the d quartz from the several mines could be !~! ~ sent cheaply to the Thames for treatment, lt and thus obviate the necessity for erecting- '"" batteries or other reduction plants at the '- different places. He looked upon this as t : being an important way in which the whole ' s district would be benefitted, as if the .v. v quartz could now be sent to Germany an 4 m treated profitably, there could be no reason ' 5 why the Thames should not become- a great 5 centre for reduction works. [ 5 Mr Brodie said when judging as to what j the traffic would be, the)' must not guage Fj it by the present coach traffic, as the railway 3r wonld unquestionably create a " traffic f or0 itself, In his opinion a good revenue f) would be derived from coal alone", while* it 0 must also be borne in mind that there was: e5e 5 a large kauri forest in the vicinity of 6 Paeroa, which, in itself, would pay to^take '"• out. The railway was projected 20 years ?> since, and should have been completed d long ago. ' s After some further conversation it waa 0 resolved : "That the Mayor, Chairman 1 of S tho County Council, and Mr Dean, 'be ie authorised to prepare a resolution 'to be. £ submitted to the various local bodies ifor >k their approval, with a reauept thqt'tliey t" will each appoint two or three gentlemen r to go over the line with the "Hon. Mr *- Mitchelson." • " 4 *S ', ' c " It was further resolved to solicit the co- °- operation of the Thames Borough Council, a > Thames, Ohinemuri, and Piako 'County Councils, Te Aroha Town Board, residents ie of Waiorongomai, and Waitoa Road Boards >y —Thames Star.

The ordinary monthly meeting 6t' Ohme n mud County Co,un,cil \yill be hels at P^erc^ this aftevQOOft,